his Pumpkin Ginger Soup Recipe is a creamy and luscious soup with a pop of spice from freshly grated ginger. It’s a 30-minute vegan pumpkin soup inspired by Dominican cuisine. Easy to make yet flavor-packed, it is guaranteed to impress any pumpkin lover.
Plus, it makes good use of any leftover pumpkin hanging around in your kitchen. Serve it for dinner with warm crusty bread or enjoy leftovers as a light lunch throughout the week. The soup is both fridge and freezer-friendly, which makes it a wonderful make-ahead recipe, too.
Ingredients
All it takes is a handful of simple, seasonally inspired ingredients. Gather together vegetable broth, fresh ginger, fresh cubed pumpkin, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and toasted, unsweetened coconut flakes.
A few helpful tips for ingredients:
- Vegetable Broth: Go for a low-sodium vegetable broth, either dark or light in color. This helps control the salt content in the recipe. If you are okay with it not being vegan, you can also use chicken stock.
- Ginger: I like to purchase a knob of fresh ginger, peel, and grate it fresh. I use a Microplane grater to grate ginger easily.
- Pumpkin: Fresh pumpkin pops up in grocery stores around September. Sugar or pie pumpkin is smaller and sweeter, while the larger pumpkin squash is earthier. That being said, any winter squash will do. Butternut, acorn, or kabocha are all great options.
- Coconut Flakes: This was the garnish used in Dominica and the one I stick to as the finishing touch. If you have time, toast it in a skillet for a few minutes for that nice roasted flavor.
How to make pumpkin ginger soup?
This homemade pumpkin soup recipe is so easy, it’s ready before you can say, “Pumpkin”! Simply:
- Place all of the soup ingredients in a saucepan: Place cubed pumpkin, onion, garlic, grated ginger, salt, and pepper in a medium saucepan. Pour in the vegetable stock and water.
- Cook until all the vegetables are softened: Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, turn down the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until a knife inserted into a pumpkin comes in and out easily.
- Blend the soup: Use an immersion blender or transfer the hot mixture into a food processor or a blender and process until all the pumpkin is pureed.
- Finish: Transfer it back to the pan and boil it one last time. Taste for seasoning and add more if necessary.
- Garnish and serve: When ready to serve, if desired, sprinkle it with toasted coconut flakes, a pinch of cayenne, and/or fresh sage.
Variations for the recipe:
If you liked this pumpkin soup with ginger but would like to switch it up every once in a while, here are a few variations I tried in the past:
- Use Roasted Pumpkin to make Roasted Pumpkin Ginger Soup: For a touch more depth, roast the cubed pumpkin in a preheated 350-degree oven for 30-40 minutes, or until tender. Add to the simmering vegetable broth, season to taste, and blend straight away.
- Add in an Apple and make Pumpkin Apple Soup: Add 1 peeled, cored, and diced apple along with the pumpkin. This adds a subtle sweetness that balances the earthy pumpkin flavor.
- Swap a portion of the broth with Coconut Milk: Replace 1 cup of vegetable broth with 1 cup of coconut milk. For best results, add the coconut milk at the very end after blending. Adjust seasonings accordingly.
How to store? Instructions to store in the fridge & freezer:
- Storage: The pumpkin ginger soup will keep best in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freezing: To freeze, cool completely and transfer to a freezer-safe container. Label, date, and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Thawing: Thaw overnight in the fridge. When ready to reheat, bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Alternatively, reheat individual portions in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second intervals until warmed through.
